You’ve trawled through the property websites, contacted the agent, arranged a time, and you’re ready to view what you think will be your dream home…but are you? Viewing a property may seem simple, but often people come away only remembering their favourite details about a property. Follow these top tips to ensure you’re equipped for every viewing.
Know why you’re Moving
Write down a list on non-negotiables, these are probably the reason you’re moving in the first place – whether it be a bigger garden, a downstairs loo, or simply a suitable place to put the king-sized dog bed, write down the things you need from the property you are about to view. Although you may walk-in and fall in love with the place, if it can’t provide you with the things you need, then you will just have doubts further down the line.
Take your Time
Whether you are looking to buy or rent, a property is still a big financial obligation, yet most of us spend longer pondering what to have for dinner it the supermarket aisle than viewing a house. Generally, agents will leave a 30-minute window per viewing, so if you think you want more time, just ask, and any good agent will be happy to oblige. Alternatively, come for a second or third viewing – try and do these viewing at a different time of day, or on a different day of the week, giving you an indication of things, such as natural lighting, street noise and rush hour traffic.
Investigate the Area
The house may be perfect, but the location of it means you can’t get to bingo on a Thursday night without asking Sandra for a lift -this is when you start having unforeseen problems. Take a walk around the local area, is there a park for the kids, a field for the dog, and a shop you can run to when you suddenly realise, you’re out of teabags? Research your proximity to the local doctors, chemist, post office and bank, and think about how accessible you need these things to be for you. Mentally run through all the small tasks you do in an average week, then visualise this same week in your new area – does it make your life any harder?
Viewing doesn’t just mean view
You walk into the property, see the beautiful colour of that feature wall and that’s it, you’re sold! Unfortunately, that feature wall doesn’t drown out the noise of the road, that weird smell coming from the bottom of the garden, or the fact that you can’t bear to go to the loo in the minus temperatures that inhabit your bathroom. Use all your senses when viewing a property, listen for noises, take note of any weird smells and don’t be afraid to touch and try things out.
Ask Questions
It’s easy to get what we call, ‘brain fog’ when you walk into a property, but come prepared with a list of questions, and note down the answers. There may be some questions better suited to the owner, in which case the agent will be able to find out the answers and let you know following the viewing.
Get a Second Opinion
Try and bring someone with you to the viewing, the more pair of eyes (ears, mouth and nose) you have the better. But, even if it’s just the agent your having the viewing with, its always a good idea to bounce ideas off someone, enabling you to get a clearer idea of things in your mind.
Now that you’ve had the perfect viewing, the only thing left is to decide whether to take the plunge and go for the property or not? In next months blog post we will explore how you know when you’ve found ‘the one’, and the questions to ask yourself. Keep your eyes peeled and happy viewing!
